Why I Built Next Game Finder

Steam has over 100,000 games. Their recommendation algorithm shows you the same 12.

Every day, dozens of indie games launch that are better than whatever AAA title you just pre-ordered for $70. You'll never see them because they don't have a marketing budget.

Discovery is broken. Has been for years.

The Algorithm Problem

Steam's recommendation system is optimized for Gabe's yacht, not your enjoyment (and it's a nice yacht, to be fair).

Popular games get more visibility, which makes them more popular, which gives them more visibility. The cycle repeats. Forever. Meanwhile, a roguelite with 96% positive reviews and 800 total reviews sits in algorithmic purgatory because the developer couldn't afford to pay streamers.

I've found some of my favorite games through random Reddit threads at 2 AM, YouTube videos with 3,000 views, and friends saying "just trust me on this one." That's a terrible discovery system for a platform with 100,000+ games.

The Hidden Gems Are Out There

Games I discovered by pure luck:

• Vampire Survivors from a random YouTube video with 2,000 views
• Slay the Spire from a Reddit comment thread
• Hades from a friend telling me to just trust them

These were hidden gems once. Great games, zero visibility.

The current system rewards marketing spend, not game quality. Indie developers make incredible games and then watch them get buried under the latest Ubisoft release that'll be 75% off in three months.

What Makes a Hidden Gem?

For Next Game Finder, I defined hidden gems using specific criteria:

High review score: 85%+ positive reviews
Under-reviewed: Less than 5,000 total reviews (not mainstream yet)
Trusted data: At least 50 reviews (enough to trust the score)
Actual playtime: People play it, not just buy and refund

And we exclude games you already own. What's the point of discovering something sitting in your library?

We don't store your Steam data or sell it to anyone. Yes, I actually have a legal page and everything. Very professional.

The Discovery Experience

Finding a new game should feel like a discovery, not homework. That's why when Next Game Finder pulls your recommendations, it shoots confetti in your face.

Excessive? Maybe. Satisfying? Absolutely.

When that card drops showing a pixel art metroidvania with 94% positive reviews that you've never heard of... that feeling is why this exists.

What's Next

This is version one. Planning to add:

• Better filtering options
• Wishlist integration
• Community features
• More discovery modes

If you want to know more about the project roadmap or how the algorithm works, check out the about page.

But right now, the goal is simple: help you find great games the algorithm buried.

Stop paying $70 for launch-day disappointment. Stop relying on 2 AM Reddit threads to find actually good games.

Use Next Game Finder instead.

Happy hunting.